Please find a description of all workshops below. Please register for the workshops using the Form provided.
By Doug Stam
General - 501Our children and we ourselves are confronted daily with fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence and such blatant sins. What is our response? Are we prepared to teach about immoral practices and lifestyles and immoral time? How can we teach the abstinence from evil in the 21st century?
By Theo VandeWeg
General - LibraryAn analysis of philosophic developments throughout history traces the gradual shift from theocentricity to anthropocentricity and associated changes in worldviews.
By Joanne Den Boer
Primary (K-3), Intermediate (4-6) - 201You probably have developed a unit on beavers, bees, Canada, a well-known artist, or some other topic or area of learning. Have you thought about how your unit plan differs from a unit plan developed by a teacher in a public school? What questions should you be asking to develop a unit from a distinctly Biblical perspective? In this workshop I will share a few approaches that I have found helpful to keep the focus of learning Biblical. Time will be given for you to develop your unit from a Biblical perspective.
By Henk Klaassen
Primary (K-3), Intermediate (4-6) - 204Come learn how and why attachment in the classroom is key to successful teaching and discipline. After a brief introduction to Dr. Gordon Neufeld’s attachment theory, we hope to look at the power of attachment and why it should be absolutely front and center in our teaching and discipline. It is only in proper attachment with our students that we are in a position to influence.
By Jody Terpstra
Junior Secondary (7-9), Senior Secondary (10-12) - 502How can we better engage and support students in literature study? As Cowper said, “Variety is the very spice of life!” I will share some activities and materials that have worked well in my English classroom. These activities can be used with a large variety of novels, poetry, and short stories. While I have used these ideas mainly in high school classes, They can be used in middle school and upper elementary classes too. Come prepared to participate in an activity and to share activities that have worked well for you.
By Marc Slingerland
Primary (K-3), Intermediate (4-6), Junior Secondary (7-9), Senior Secondary (10-12), General, School Leadership - 303There are plenty of trendy “neuro” claims in education, and not all live up to their billing. But there is an increasing body of well-supported evidence from cognitive science with direct relevance to education. In this session we will delve into several of these topics, with a particular focus on introducing “desirable difficulties” that result in more lasting learning. (No prior knowledge of neuroscience is assumed.)
By Tim Roos
General, School Leadership - 504Many teachers and boards are aware of Microsoft Office as a suite of productivity tools but may not be aware of a completely free suite of similar tools called G Suite for Education. This workshop will introduce teachers and administrators to the tools available in G Suite and how they can be leveraged for learning. A brief introduction to Chromebooks as a alternative to Windows or Mac computers and Chromebook integration into G Suite will also be covered. Timothy Christian School has been using G Suite for the last four years so some of our positive and negative experiences will be shared.
By Dave Beeke
Primary, Intermediate - 202Students need to know their basic facts. Are time drills the solution? What do you do with the students who already know them all? What about the students who spend most of their basic fact time comparing their progress and speed to their classmates? How do we avoid basic fact practice time resulting in either pride or depression?
As you meet your new students in September, you quickly realize that you have a huge range of basic fact mastery in your classroom. Now what?
During this sharing session, we hope to look at practical options to handle this reality and have all students grow in their basic fact recall. Feel free to come with your own ideas to share as well.
By Theo VandeWeg
General - LibraryAs the predominant worldview has shifted into postmodernism and our world is changing ever more rapidly, what are today's challenges for society and education?
By Bertus Velthove
General, School Leadership - 501As California is a leader in many progressive laws, how will their mandatory vaccination law come to affect us and what can we do about it? This topic discusses the possible pros and cons of vaccinations, and whether it is worth it for parents and educators alike to stand up for the right to make informed decisions regarding their children's health. Also, could there be a link between vaccinations and student's learning disabilities and behavioural issues that are becoming more and more common in today's classroom.
By Bill Beeke
Junior Secondary (7-9), Senior Secondary (10-12) - 406The session will share some ideas around learning with student ownership in Secondary. Some of the success and failures of Timothy Christian school journey in core competency development through projects will be shared.
By Janna Maljaars
Primary (K-3), Intermediate (4-6), Junior Secondary (7-9) - 405I am hoping to demonstrate some vocal techniques and how to get your children to sing using a singing voice. We hope to have a demonstration choir that you can observe.
By Joanne Den Boer
Primary (K-3), Intermediate (4-6) - 201A continuation of the workshop in Session A
By Jody Terpstra
Junior Secondary (7-9), Senior Secondary (10-12) - 502How do you begin a new unit or introduce a topic in your social studies classes? I will share some ideas that have worked well in my classes. Come prepared to participate in a simulation and to share your ideas as well. Many of these activities can also be used classes other than Social Studies.
By Marianne Luteyn/Darlene Dekker/Adriana Maljaars
Primary (K-3), Intermediate (4-6) - 303Are you struggling to meet the needs of all the readers in your classroom? Do you have students who struggle in reading but you're not sure why? In this workshop we will share MCCS' journey in developing a guided reading program. We will share the research behind it, what skills we teach and when, and how we organize our lessons and resources. You will also have the opportunity to watch guided reading in action in various primary and intermediate classrooms.
By Marinus Slingerland
General - 404We live in a time where there seems to be many questions without clear answers for us and our children. In this topic we hope to explain how Paul gives a clear way to find an answer to these questions, based on Romans 14.
By Dirk van Meeuwen
Junior Secondary (7-9), Senior Secondary (10-12), General - 502The Synod of Dordrecht is really important for our christian schools, even after 400th years. During that Synod the strong connection between church, family and christian schools was confirmed. Also this "founding fathers" spoke about (religious) education in a practical manner. What happened in Dordrecht is still topical for us in our time and for our schools.
By Bruce Aleman
Intermediate (4-6), Junior Secondary (7-9), Senior Secondary (10-12) - 205As a followup to the presentation, "When Learning Is (Purposely!) Hard" , Bruce will present some practical methods and applications of the theory behind Make it Stick.
By Daniel Van Brugge
Primary (K-3), Intermediate (4-6), Junior Secondary (7-9), Senior Secondary (10-12), General - 404Come on out and have some fun in this workshop! We will explore some great math games that can work for you in a wide variety of grades. There will be something for primary to senior grade levels. You will have access to these resources and suggested ways to use them in your own classroom as soon as you return to school!
By Jaap Ter Haar
General - 501This presentation will focus on how ideology informs curriculum and how we have to be on guard against both the explicit and implicit assumptions made by curriculum writers, creators of resources, and news media. It will also discuss steps we can take to arm ourselves and our students against an un-Biblical worldview.
By Marlene Roseboom
Intermediate (4-6), Junior Secondary (7-9) - 207Focus on the heart of creative writing/poetry: creating personal, experiential sensory images while playing with language and poetic devices.
By Rita Klop
Intermediate (4-6), Junior Secondary (7-9), Senior Secondary (10-12) - 305Are you tired of spoon feeding students information? Do you wish students would learn to think for themselves? Come and let's explore together how to turn old lessons into critical thinking activities where students find and categorize the facts and then use critical thinking to make judgments after analyzing and considering the rationale, biases, and other constraints that may exist. Finally, we must make our students cognizant of what it is to be a critical thinker and reflect on the process. Adaptable to any classroom but lessons and ideas will be targeted to the middle school classroom.
By Shirley Kerkhoff/Tamara Kardux
General, Special Ed. - 303Google Read and Write - come prepared to try out this program on Google Chromebooks and discuss success with multi age groups
By Ashley Neels/Jody Terpstra/Bill Beeke/Marlene Roseboom/Dave Beeke
General, Intermediate, Junior & Senior Secondary - Off SiteEngage! Explore! Explain! Extend! Evaluate! The 5 E model of unit and lesson design provides a framework for generating curiosity and questions, testing predictions, explaining concepts, applying skills, and encourage ongoing student self-assessment. Join a team of educators as we immerse ourselves into experiential learning! This 3-hour place-based workshop will be held off-campus at nearby Cheam Wetlands. All supplies are provided. Since the organizing team consists mainly of intermediate and middle school staff, the activities may lean towards this age group, but PreK through Gr12 staff are most welcome to join and adapt your experience accordingly. Come prepared to roll up your sleeves for a hands-on opportunity to connect, question, investigate, design, and collaborate! Our goal is to return eager to apply the 5E model when facilitating learning activities for our students!
By Pastor Vergunst
General - GymTwo Sessions with a break in between.A brief exploration of our relationship with and/or calling to our surrounding culture. To define this is vital also in preparing our youth and is needed in cultivating a discerning spirit. The second half of the session is planned to be group discussion on this subject.
503
By Corrie Stoutjesdyk
Librarians - Library21st century learning - New Curriculum and changes in the modern library. What students can learn and gain from the library learning environment.
By Brent Aleman
General/Special Ed - 303Let's discuss and share good practice and glean strategies to better support our students next school year, DV.
By Marianne Luteyn/Christina Kooij
General/Special EdStrategies that work, outside help that is available, how our practice changes once children reach middle or high school.
By Shirley Kerkhoff
General/Special EdCome prepared with student(s) in mind and make it your goal to share strategies or glean tidbits to use next school year, DV.
By Pastor Vergunst
General - LibraryWe all are under heavy demands of over-committed schedules. Since there is also so much more to do, taking time off seems wrong. In this topic let's explore the balance between work and leisure and consider whether we need are balanced in how we live our life. Burn-out conditions are on the rise and once this condition has surfaced, it it a 'stayer' making us less useful.
By Bill Beeke
Junior Secondary (7-9), Senior Secondary (10-12), General, School Leadership - 406This workshop will look at the current assessment practices at Timothy Christian school and propose ideas for personal assessment.
By Nadine Visscher
Primary (K-3), Intermediate (4-6) - 202Learn how to structure project work times in an elementary class with varying degrees of student choice. Get tips on how to keep your students on task and focused on curriculum in a flexible learning environment. Feel free to discuss what works well in your classroom as well.
By Nathan Bleeker
Primary (K-3), Intermediate (4-6) - 204Often a focus is put on the academic needs of students that are performing below grade level. Those who are above grade level may be bored, misbehave, or spend their class time reading. How can we provide instruction for these students so that they grow and thrive in our classroom? Exploration work done at our school will be shared, but some time for discussion and idea share will hopefully be incorporated as well.
By Rick Veldhuizen
General - 502Anger…we all have it and we have all seen it. It has become part of who we, as fallen human beings, are. Anger is not wrong. However, the difference lies in how we deal with anger. In this workshop we will briefly touch on what anger is but more importantly the question of how can we calm that angry student in our classroom? Be prepared to share some tips and tricks that you have found useful in your classroom.
By Rita Klop
Intermediate (4-6), Junior Secondary (7-9), Senior Secondary (10-12) - 305Would you like the writing of your students to include more voice, better description? How about choosing topics or editing? We'll see how much we can get to in a session!
By Henk Van Nieuwkoop
Intermediate, Junior Secondary, General - 303In the last two years we have offered an Outdoor Education Program to our grade 6 students at MCCS. Two main components of this course are plant/animal ID and sustainability. I would like to speak about topics we cover (the Biblical basis for stewardship, local plants, animal tracking, bird language, wilderness survival and conservation projects), ways to structure the course, logistics and resources. My experience is mainly with grade 6 students, however I have also done several Outdoor Education based lessons for KG, grade 4, 7 and 8. I believe we should teach students about the outdoors and stewardship from a young age to inspire a wonder of creation early on.
By Pastor Vergunst
General, Junior Secondary (7-9), Senior Secondary (10-12) - LibraryWe are all accustomed to the various arguments supporting the vital doctrine of the inspiration of the Scriptures. In this topic I like to share some evidences from Moses' writings in the first five books that support the doctrine that the Bible is inspired. These evidences are great material to share with the young people in Bible class, hopefully strengthening their understanding of the unique authority of the Word of God.
By John Van Der Brink
Junior Secondary (7-9), Senior Secondary (10-12) - 501The moral demise in American and Canadian culture today is unprecedented. Never before has there been such a systematic and seemingly determined turning away from the principles of God's Word. This demise can be directly correlated with the trends in public education in the the last 50 years. Laws have been passed and are still being introduced which remove almost all influence of God's Word in our nation's schools. A new generation of adults who have been educated in this culture are now the leaders in our society. So the future does not seem any brighter. Where is our hope and expectation for the unknown future?
By George Grisnich
General - 303Are you looking for a systematic way to approach your year and unit planning? Then this workshop is for you! I hope to give a little bit of background about the rationale for UbD but intend to spend most of the time showing exemplars and allowing you to practice with unit development activities. Having state or province curriculum standards with you for this workshop would be ideal, since that will make your experience in the workshop the most relevant to your teaching.
By John Vroegop
Intermediate (4-6), Junior Secondary (7-9) - 204Literature Circles is an excellent way to boost reading comprehension and develop effective communication skills. Rather then assigning student roles such as connector, illustrator, director, etc., I use a format that simulates an adult book club at a student level. Students create their own 'deep questions' and discuss at their weekly group meetings. Leave with all the materials needed to incorporate literature circles in your classroom.
By Marinus Slingerland
General - 404We will share some of the work done in China by Hudson Taylor Ministries from a recent visit and introduce a mission topic based on Go For Me to China.
By Matthew Stoutjesdyk
Intermediate (4-6), Junior Secondary (7-9) - 205Global Justice can be understood as people standing up for what they believe is right. In this reading unit, topics including segregation, assimilation, censorship, and dictatorship are explored through picture books. These carefully selected stories are a powerful way for students to learn about these issues. In addition, there is ample opportunity to use God's Word as the basis for analyzing stories, making this unit especially suitable for use in our Christian schools. In this presentation, I hope to share this reading unit and explain the possibilities for critical and reflective thinking.
By Meleah Bazen
General - 502What exactly will our students encounter if they attend a public university? How can we best prepare them to stand strong in this environment? I recently graduated after spending five years studying at Grand Valley State University, and I encountered things there that I did not expect and ideas that shook my Biblical worldview to the core. This is why I want to help teachers prepare their students for this spiritual battleground. Since our cultural landscape is quickly changing, I encourage you to come especially if you have been out of the university setting for some time.
By Tim Roos
Primary (K-3), Intermediate (4-6), Junior Secondary (7-9), Senior Secondary (10-12), General - 504What is Computational Thinking? Does it only apply to older students? Is it only related to computer programming? Why is it important for everyone? These are some questions that will hopefully be answered through presentation and discussion.